Archive of Our Own ^beta

Molly glared at the area with the flying carpets. She hated the carpet. It gave her a queasy feeling in her stomach to be on it and frankly as enticing as the whole scene in Aladdin had looked she would be thankful if she never ever sat on another one again, so thankful. The first time she had she was afraid she’d nearly shrieked out Leonard’s eardrum and they only went up one floor! She was a bloody coward, but she didn’t care. She would take the stairs, thank you, even if she was late.

This was not the mood she had wanted to wake up in, not today. Though it had been lovely that Leonard had left her breakfast by the bedside, she hadn’t wanted to wake up alone. But she supposed even here, there would be cause for him to have to leave early. Just...she’d hoped it wouldn’t be on her birthday. She was already miffed their plans in Breckenridge were ruined by being here and...well, this wasn’t what she wanted her day to be like. One rotten thing after another.

She’d just made up her mind to head to the stairs that she wasn’t paying attention and walked straight into the man she had just been thinking about, reaching out to cling to him to keep your balance. “Ooof!” she said and then she smiled up at him. Well, this wasn’t so bad, being in his arms, even if she was only lucky for it to be a minute. “Did you leave something in the room?”

Waking up in Atlantis had been a surprise. Even after the randomness of his arrival in Breckenridge, this kind of thing wasn’t really expected and he’d settled into something resembling a routine in the new home he’d made there. He was glad he’d at least had Molly with him, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

They’d still made the decision to stay when their week was up. There wasn’t a guarantee they’d have been sent back to Breck rather their their own home worlds and it wasn’t a chance either of them had been willing to take. Besides, it seemed like they were needed here. McCoy might grumble and gripe about things, but he had too much of that Southern chivalry bred into him to turn his back on a worthwhile cause.

He supposed it was a little mean to pretend to head into work early on her birthday, but Molly was a damn near impossible woman to surprise and he’d wanted to make the day special for her. He’d at least left breakfast at her bedside before slipping out to wait for her to exit the room before he positioned himself, the small gift box held behind his back, in her path.

Reaching out to steady her, he offered her a rare grin. “Yeah, only the most beautiful woman in Atlantis,” he answered smoothly, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

She grinned a bit more as she kissed him back. Oh, he was so smooth that in that instant she knew it was a set-up. But if he went to all that trouble she wouldn’t let on she knew; after all, she knew he had actually cooked breakfast for her and really, that went a long way to make up for making her wake up in bed alone. If he had surprises up his sleeve...well, she wouldn’t ruin them.

At least on purpose, for once.

When she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, she stayed close to him. “You know, I’m very glad these rooms only hold two people, Leonard, because if we had a third or fourth roommate like we did in Breckenridge in the end and they were asleep in the room still I might be very worried,” she said before laughing. Then she reached up and put her arms around his neck. “Do I get you for a little while or do I have to share you?”

Molly might know he had something planned for her, but she wouldn’t know what it was. In all honesty, it wasn’t anything elaborate, but he had hopes that she would find it enjoyable. They hadn’t been together for long, only a few months, really, but he still wanted to make today memorable for her.

Keeping her close even after the kiss ended, he rubbed his hand lightly against her back and grinned down at her. “You get me for as long as you want,” he answered her. “I told Jemma it was your birthday and she let me have the day off. We don’t have a lot to do, yet, with so few of us here, anyway, and she can handle any patient who do come in. Barring any real emergencies she can’t handle on her own, I’m all yours for the day.”

It had been awkward at first, meeting the woman who had known them both in Lawrence when he had no memory of her. In the weeks since, though, he’d discovered he enjoyed working with Jemma. He was grateful she’d helped make today possible and made a mental note to do something nice for her in return.

“Mmm, I may have to do something very nice for Jemma,” she said. “Perhaps get her something nice or offer her a day to herself or something along those lines. I don’t get all that much time where I get you to myself for a whole day. One of us usually has something to do.” And it was true. It seemed as though if they weren’t both busy, when one wasn’t busy the other was. She mostly got to see him in the evenings now, which wasn’t so bad, she supposed, but it seemed...different here. If what she was doing didn’t feel like it amounted to busywork, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so miffed about it.

She leaned in again. “So. As you haven’t already started to lead me back into our abode, what are your plans for our day, Doctor Leonard Horatio McCoy?” she said, enunciating each part of his name with a soft kiss somewhere on his face. She probably couldn’t convince him to abandon his plans and go back to bed with her, but she’d give it an awfully good shot.

“Keep that up and that’s right where we’re going,” he threatened, but he was smiling and he was probably not going to be that easily dissuaded. “But I had a little sightseeing planned for starters and then I thought we’d see where the day took us.” He had a gift for her, too, and plans to take her to dinner later tonight. Mostly, he was just looking forward to spending the time with his girlfriend. They didn’t get a full day together like this often.

Despite his words, he bent down to kiss her, letting his lips linger against hers for a while. Truth be told, taking her right back to bed was tempting. If that was what she wanted, she probably wouldn’t have to push very hard. Dinner was really the only part of today that was on a set schedule.

Oh, she was tempted. Very very tempted. Almost since they had gotten there and been sorted into their positions in the medical department, they’d been busy. And while they had been able to get some time together throughout the day before their workday was finished, sometimes long enough for a small chat or even a decent meal, an entire day together had been unheard of yet. She honestly wouldn’t mind just spending the entirety of it in bed with him.

But sightseeing also had its enticements. There was a lot to see here that she hadn’t gotten to explore, and it was always more fun to explore with others. She’d gone out with the few here from Breck, but there were very few and she hadn’t really had time to meet many other people. A day out with Leonard would be quite nice.

Once she was done kissing him, because that was also quite nice.

Eventually, though, she pulled away and pulled her arms from around his neck, grasping one of his hands in hers. “Lead on, MacDuff,” she said with a smile.

“I don’t know,” he teased her. “I’m coming around to this whole idea of going back to bed now.” He grinned down at her, keeping her close to him. His arms tightened around her a little and he was seriously entertaining the idea of kissing her again. Maybe more than kissing her. Somehow, he didn’t think she’d actually mind.

He was pretty much teasing, but that didn’t stop him from running a hand up her back and bending down to whisper in her ear. “I can think of some sights I’d like to see that are right here in this room, you know.”

She felt a small shiver run through her and she licked her lips. She had to admit, there were more advantages to just heading straight back to bed than getting sore feet and dealing with more than just him. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. Oh no. She’d be nice and let him decide all for himself what would be the better present to give her.

She moved in front of him and played with his collar. “Oh, you are such a tease,” she said, rolling her eyes but still grinning at him widely. “Then make up your mind. I will give you this one concession on my birthday. Either you can take me sightseeing, or you can seduce me until any unchangeable plans you have kick in. Your choice.”

“Who says we can’t do both?” It was still early. There was plenty of time left in the day, so he figured he could seduce her out of what she was wearing now and they could still go out exploring a little later. It seemed like a good plan at the moment, anyway.

With that, he pulled her against him and kissed her again, hoping he was making it clear that he’d made up his mind about what he wanted. The gift would wait, too, he decided. Maybe he’d give it to her after he was done having his way with her.

She grinned as she kissed him back and then slowly began backing them towards their room. She had the feeling that they would be quite preoccupied today in their room. And if they didn’t get to explore? Well, that could wait for another day, she supposed. This was a much better present anyway…

Eventually, even the most rigorous of activities requires some rest, and she’d found herself dozing with her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat under her ear. They very rarely slept spooned together, she’d noticed; this was the usual position she slept in, and she found it quite comforting. It was probably more comfortable for the both of them as well.

Which is why it irritated her the mornings she woke up to an empty bed. Or, in this case, afternoon. Or at least she was irritated until she saw he was standing nearby, fiddling with something. She sat up, pulling the sheet to her bare chest. “What is that?” she asked.

He had to admit that falling back into bed with molly had been a lot nicer than going into work. He thought it was even better than dealing with the crowds to do their sightseeing. She’d fallen asleep with her head on his chest and he’d just watched her for a while before drifting off himself, thinking it really didn’t get any better.

Waking before she had, he’d slipped carefully out of bed to retrieve the gift box from his jacket, which had been left on the floor somewhere. He played with his absently as he stood there watching her sleep, thinking again that he’d never seen anything more beautiful. At least, until she opened her eyes and looked at him.

“What, this old thing?” he asked, smirking a little. He knew full well what she was talking about, but he could never resist teasing a little.

They’d managed to kick the quilt off at some point that day and pull the sheet loose as well, so she pulled the sheet all the way off the bed and wrapped it around her, padding barefoot over to him. She could see him watching her and taking in the view so she made sure to take her time, swaying her hips slightly so he would definitely have a view to enjoy. She was about to get her present, she could afford to give him one as well.

When she got over to him, she reached over and plucked the small wrapped present out of his hands, then moved so she could press her back against his chest as she opened it. When she did, her eyes opened wide as she stared at the lovely locket. “Oh, Leonard, this is…” She looked up at him with wide eyes. “This is beautiful,” she finished.

He definitely enjoyed the show as she walked towards him. She was covered with a sheet, but he swore he’d never seen anything sexier in his life as the sight of her walking towards him. When she reached him and turned after grabbing the gift box - which he let her take willingly - and backed against him, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her close against him.

“Only half as beautiful as you,” he told her, glad she liked it. He took the locket from her and brushed her hair to the side, taking a moment to fasten it around her neck and then he pressed a kiss to her skin, right on the side of her neck.

She shut her eyes as he kissed her neck, smiling widely. “You know, one day you’re going to say something like that in the presence of someone else, and your reputation will be all in tatters,” she said before turning around in his arms. “You will no longer be known as a grumpy grump. You’ll be a sap.”

Then she leaned in and let the sheet drop a bit more until it fell to the floor, so the only thing she was wearing was the necklace. “But then I’ll loudly proclaim you’re my sap, and no one else had better get any ideas about it,” she said before kissing him soundly. And she would, too, because she loved this man more than she had loved anyone in her entire life. More than Sherlock, more than Tom...more than anyone.